Satellite systems

HORSES HAVE LONG BEEN TRAVELLED around the globe as connections search for valuable winning opportunities, but the previous one-off trips are now becoming more of a continual strategy and plan for many international training operations, with the Gulf region seeing the development of many dedicated satellite yards operated by trainers from all around the globe.

Arguably, the development of today’s global racing scene originated in the Emirates in 1993 with the Dubai International Jockeys Challenge, which came about due to restrictions on the travelling of horses to the region.

Established jockeys rode and represented differing countries, the US, Australia and Japan, and the UAE, with Lester Piggott and Willie Carson riding for Europe.

Once international shipping restrictions in and out of the country had been lifted the inaugural Dubai World Cup was held in 1996 and got itself off to the best possible global launch with the win of Cigar.

The Dubai International Racing Carnival arrived in 2004 offering a $21 million prize-money fund for connections to race for throughout February and March, with the intention that it would act as a springboard to progress horses to World Cup night itself.

For 2006 the prize money was increased as was the elevation in status for a number of the races.

Since then the Carnival has continued to improve, not least when Meydan superseded the previous racecourse Nad Al Sheba. Dubai’s racing is now a well-established goal for connections around the world.

Now in it’s 20th year this year’s Carnival kicked off as usual in January and will have encompassed nine meetings by the time the season culminates with the 27th Dubai World Cup night on March 25.

With prize-money totalling almost $9 million, the 61 races on offer have been divided between 36 on Turf and 25 on Dirt, to include 22 Group races, plus a further seven Listed races. The remainder is made up of conditions and handicaps run over a range from 1000m to 2810m.

From an original list of 147 horses that were accepted, nearly 90 arrived from 11 different countries (the US, UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Norway, Denmark, Uruguay, Turkey, South Korea) for the start of the Carnival, which got underway on Friday, January 6 at Meydan.

Numbers [as we go to press] are also likely to be boosted with further arrivals for Super Saturday on March 4.

Commenting on the 2023 Carnival, Stephanie Cooley, responsible for international liaison on behalf of Dubai Racing Club, said: “We are delighted with the representation and quality of runners so far from across the world. Connections are happy to be in Dubai, as there’s a lot to offer here, as well as great racing for nine weeks of the Carnival.

“Having nations such as South Korea, who have suffered from Covid restrictions in recent years, returning to the Carnival is gratifying, and it’s superb to welcome back many familiar equine stars as well as some new faces.

“To get new trainers such as George Boughey and Johnny Murtagh, along with the return of USA trainer Doug O’Neill, and long-time Carnival supporters such as David O’Meara and David Simcock is always a positive.”

Onur Ozelcanat © Debbie Burt

One of the lesser known trainers making the return journey to Dubai is Onur Özelcanat.

The trainer of two Turkish Derby winners, Özelcanat is back with the Nimet Arif Kurtel-owned Final Dance, who finished fourth in the Listed Al Bastakiya on Super Saturday 2021. Since his experience last year, the four-year-old Declaration Of War colt has gone on to win three Turkish Group 1s and two Group 2s over distances from 1600m to 2800m on Turf at Veliefendi and Ankara.

Özelcanat is driven to compete overseas by the desire to demonstrate the development of horseracing in Turkey saying: “We have made great progress. Final Dance has a US pedigree and is a strong horse that can adapt to difficult conditions. Our wish is to represent our country and the Jockey Club of

Turkey in the best way in the international arena with Turkish horses.”

Unfortunately, Final Dance has not been in quite the same form as on his previous trip and, after some enforced changes in the colt’s programme, Özelcanat made a realistic decision and as we write is taking the horse back home.

“It takes great dedication to keep the horse in the same form and level all the time,” he explains, “and since we were not able to stick to the programme we originally planned, we didn’t get the results we were hoping for.

“Final Dance is loved by the Turkish racing fans and we are now preparing him to return to Turkey for when racing resumes there.”

Özelcanat has also been dealing with the horrific news emanating from Turkey after February’s tragic earthquake that claimed the lives of so many of his countrymen, and is understandably keen to get home.

“Of course, I have been worried for my family and friends in the current situation, but we stay in touch by phone. We look forward to coming back to the Carnival next year.”

ONE OF THE MORE SEASONED UK trainers who returned for more this year is Ian Williams, whose team got off to a flyer with Enemy (Muhaarar) winning the Carnival’s opening race, the Dubai Racing Club Classic on January 6, netting some $60,000 in prize-money.

Williams first sent Sir Maximilian to run in Dubai in 2015 when the Royal Applause gelding won the Group 3 Meydan Sprint on Super Saturday before picking up place prize-money in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on World Cup night behind Sole Power.

Speaking of that first Carnival trip Williams recalls: “We’d done lots of overseas travelling closer to home, but it was only our second foray outside of Europe.

“We’d been lucky to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup, which was a long trip and a tough one on everybody, both work wise and financially because there’s no subsidies, whereas Dubai is obviously pretty much fully subsidised.

“It was quite an amazing experience all the way through, as it was something very different, something very new to us. The facilities in Dubai and the prize-money even then were exceptional and we were looked after very well. The horses, the staff, the owners, myself – we all had a great time being involved in that period of learning.”

Since then he feels that the Carnival consistently provides a worthwhile and engaging option for owners.

“The level of racing is always very good, and prize-money is very rewarding,” he says, but notes: “You still have to have the horses who are good enough and capable enough to compete at that level.”

Considering the type of horse required to be competitive, he explains: “You’ve got a broad spectrum of race distances through the meeting but ideally a horse wouldn’t want to be rated much less than 100, unless it’s well handicapped.

“There is a nice wide range of handicaps, and if you are good enough to progress there are a number of Listed and Group races over varying distances that are very attractive for the prize-money.”

But sounding a note of caution, he says: “I think that horses who are suitable for the Carnival are becoming increasingly difficult to buy unless you have huge pots of money.

“It’s a very competitive market now because of the new options to race in Saudi, Qatar and Bahrain. You’re not just trying to buy for one place and, with Saudi looking to build more racecourses and house more horses, the market is only going to become stronger.”

Considering the development of racing across the Gulf States and what that might mean for international racing in the future and for his own team, he says: “I think the success of Dubai has led to other Middle Eastern countries seeing the advantages of horseracing as a national event and when you see the finance that Qatar, Bahrain and, particularly, Saudi are putting into horseracing, it’s going to open opportunities for horses from all over the world to race in these places.

“Dubai has shown the way, but it’s quite feasible that these other countries could take it to another level.

“I’d love to have a satellite yard in the Middle East during the winter months, probably in Dubai, but it’s reliant on having the clients and having enough high-quality horses capable of running in valuable and high-quality races.

“We’re very lucky to have very capable and reliable staff and again the Dubai Racing Club offer very good facilities and look after them well, so it’s always very easy.

“It’s definitely something that I’d love to do and will look forward to learning more on our visit to Saudi, as there are obviously opportunities opening up in there, and in Qatar and Bahrain as well.

“It would also depend on how these countries opened their lesser races up to the international runners as much as anything.

Ian Williams ©Tattersalls

“Dubai has a domestic programme that, speaking to a lot of the local owners, needs expanding, and also needs an injection of prize-money at the domestic level.”

Enemy’s success provided the Williams team with the opportunity to head over the border to the Saudi Cup.

“We were very happy to enter him in Saudi’s Red Sea Handicap,” he says, adding: “It is a race that is probably the equivalent of the Ebor without the numbers, but the prize-money is five times as great. It’s a good incentive!

“All things being equal, he’ll then run in the Dubai Gold Cup on World Cup night. He could go to the Sheema Classic, but that’s always a stronger race.”

As for his other Carnival horses, he says, “Green Team has run three times and had a great time in Dubai and we’ve enjoyed his experience there.

“He ran well last time out in February over a trip that was the bare minimum for him. There was not another race suitable for him so he’ll come home.

“Spirit Of Light ran very well in a handicap finishing a potentially unlucky second and just found the Listed company last time a little strong for him. There is another handicap in two weeks’ time [end of February], which will really suit him and he’ll stay in Dubai for that.”

THE IDEA OF OPERATING a UAE satellite yard has also appealed to the horsemen of South America and Uruguayan trainer Julio Olascoaga is in charge of a team of 13 horses based at Meydan’s Green Stables as residents, rather than international runners. His first taste of Dubai was in 2019 when assistant to Antonio Cintra as he explains: “I am vet, though my family have always had horses. This is my third season here, but it is my first representing owner Antonio Cintra on my own.”

Discussing what he has learned so far about coming to Dubai to compete he says: “The most difficult thing is to bring the horses here and knowing which horses adapt better to flying and to the conditions here in the UAE.

“What we learned is we have to bring good quality horses, bring the best ones that we have, and horses who are sound and fit for the races here, no point in bringing horses that are not suitable.

“The bloodlines in South America are mostly US bloodlines, which suit the Dirt racing in Dubai. The best results that we have had have been with three-year-olds, they have the six months ‘life’ advantage but they carry a penalty in weight.”

Like Williams, Olascoaga enjoyed a win on the opening night of the Carnival in the Jumeriah Classic Trial with Long Kiss a colt by Adriano and out of a Bernstein mare.

“It was an impressive run from Long Kiss and an amazing ride from Jose da Silva,” he smiles. “That was the plan, to come from behind because that’s the style of his racing.

Julio Olascoaga © Debbie Burt

“We breezed the horse 15 days before the race on the Turf track and he changed completely; it was a completely different horse so we knew that he was going to be a good on the Turf.

“He came here as a maiden so we are starting to build up his rating, so that’s a little different – he was not a Group winner that we brought to race in Dubai.

“We’ve been planning this since maybe April or May last year, to bring a maiden to Dubai. He won first time out here, then got beaten on Dirt at Meydan second time out, and now he’s proved that he is a Turf horse.”

He adds that the racing in Dubai has offered an outlet after some options were missed for the horse at home.

“He was a standout in Uruguay, but he had some small issues that caused us to miss the Triple Crown in Uruguay, so we decide to ship him early, to have more time here and then get him ready for the beginning of the season.”

Of the rest of his team, Olascoaga explains that it is a continual rotation.

“The other horses have all come over at different times. We had some horses who we left here at the end of last season, spending the summer here, that was a new experience for us, while we had another group of horses who came in mid-September and then some horses that came late for the Carnival at the end of December.”

Of the experience of leaving horses to rest in Dubai, he explains: “It really made a difference to leave horses here over the summer, though it was tough.

“It was not easy to summer the horses here, also it is difficult for an owner as they have to understand that its nearly seven months without racing..

“It was better for us and it was the way to keep the horses here and ready to run, and they have been running well.”

Regarding the broader development of racing in the region, he says: “It is good to see and the good prize-money is hugely positive.

“It was the plan to set up a satellite stable here so we could compete in the whole region. At the beginning we couldn’t do much because of the pandemic, but now with everything back to normal we are ready to get established here.

“Our owners will start coming over to Dubai for the Carnival, but they are always on the phone and watching the races.”

Olascoaga is hoping to develop the operation to 20 to 25 horses and had been hoping to source horses from the Racing in Dubai Sale but found purchasing out of his range financially.

“The most important thing for us would be to source horses from South America – to support our breeding,” he says rationally.

Dubai has positioned itself in the big wide world as a financial and travel hub due to its location between the two sides of the globe. Its unique geographical location is now being used by trainers to advantage, too.